12 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State

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12 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Tue, Sep 23, 2025 ·

6 min read

Candidates to Replace Mike Gundy as Oklahoma State head coach

Ben Arbuckle, Offensive Coordinator, OklahomaCould Oklahoma State look to its in-state rival for its next head coach? Arbuckle has no previous experience leading a program, but the 30-year-old coordinator is a rising star in the assistant ranks thanks to successful stints as a play-caller at Western Kentucky, Washington State, and Oklahoma. Under Arbuckle's watch, the Sooners are averaging 31.3 points a game - up from 24 a contest last year.

Alex Golesh, Head Coach, South FloridaGolesh is expected to be one of the top names mentioned for any opening at the power conference level. He also worked as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State in 2008 and has other Big 12 experience from a stint at Iowa State (2016-19). In addition to his ability to build prolific offenses, Golesh is 17-13 as the head coach at USF, with his stock on the rise in '25 following wins over Boise State and Florida.

Josh Henson, Offensive Coordinator, PurdueHenson doesn't have any experience as a head coach, but he's likely to appear on the radar to replace Gundy. The Oklahoma native played at Oklahoma State from 1993-97 and later coached in Stillwater from 1994-2004 and 2016-18. Under his watch, Purdue's offense is averaging 28 points a game in '25 - up from 15.8 last season.

GJ Kinne, Head Coach, Texas StateKinne is one of college football's top coaches on the rise. The Texas native (and former Tulsa quarterback) has moved fast through the coaching ranks. In 2020, he worked as Hawaii's offensive coordinator and held the co-coordinator role at UCF in '21. The next season, Kinne was hired as Incarnate Ward's head coach and went 12-2 in his only year in charge. Kinne took over at Texas State prior to '23 and brought immediate success to the program with back-to-back 8-5 campaigns. Counting a 3-1 start in '25, Kinne is 19-11 overall in San Marcos.

Collin Klein, Offensive Coordinator, Texas A&MKlein's stock is on the rise in 2025 thanks to Texas A&M's marked improvement on offense and a road win at Notre Dame in Week 3. The Aggies are averaging 6.9 yards a play this season, a full yard higher than this group posted in '24 (5.9). The former Kansas State quarterback has no experience as a head coach but has been a successful play-caller at his alma mater (2022-23) and now in College Station.

Andy Kotelnicki, Offensive Coordinator, Penn State
Kotelnicki has no experience as a head coach but is regarded as one of the most creative play-callers in college football. The Minnesota native took over as Penn State's coordinator in 2024, guiding this offense to an average of 6.5 yards a snap and 33.1 points a contest. Prior to Happy Valley, Kotelnicki worked as the coordinator at Kansas (2021-23) and Buffalo (2015-20).

Jeff Monken, Head Coach, ArmyWill Monken finally get a chance to run a power conference team this offseason? The Illinois native is 83-59 in West Point, including a 12-2 mark and an American Conference title last season. The Black Knights have just three losing seasons since Monken's arrival and earned five bowl trips since '16. Prior to Army, Monken went 38-16 in charge at Georgia Southern (2010-13).

Todd Monken, OC, Baltimore Ravens
Monken has a good thing going in the NFL as the Ravens' offensive coordinator, but he worked in Stillwater as an assistant (2002-04) and again as the play-caller (2011-12). Could a chance to return to the collegiate ranks as a head coach appeal to the Illinois native? His only stint as a head coach took place from 2013-15 at Southern Miss. Although Monken's record was only 13-25, the program showed marked improvement after going 1-11 in his debut. After improving to 3-9 in '14, the Golden Eagles jumped to 9-5 the next season.

Eric Morris, Head Coach, North TexasMorris' stock is on the rise after a 4-0 start at UNT this season. The Mean Green are 15-14 overall since his arrival in '23. Prior to taking over in Denton, Morris went 24-18 as the head coach at Incarnate Word and is regarded for his work on offense and with developing quarterbacks. The Texas native played and later coached at Texas Tech, so he has plenty of familiarity with the Big 12.

Zac Robinson, Offensive Coordinator, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson is expected to be one of the frontrunners for this job. After a prolific career as Oklahoma State's quarterback (2005-09), Robinson spent four years in the NFL with stops in New England , Seattle , Detroit , and Cincinnati . He joined the Rams' staff in '19 as an offensive assistant and worked there until '24, when he was hired as the Falcons' offensive coordinator. With his ties to the program, along with a background on offense, Robinson would be an intriguing hire for Oklahoma State.

Ryan Silverfield, Head Coach, MemphisSilverfield was promoted to head coach at Memphis after Mike Norvell left for Florida State. He's maintained the Tigers' place as one of the top Group of 5 teams in college football with a 46-21 record since the end of the '19 season. Silverfield is 25-5 over the past two years and guided the program to a No. 24 ranking in '24.

Jeff Traylor, Head Coach, UTSATraylor is one of the top Group of 5 coaches in college football with a 48-22 record at UTSA since 2020. The Roadrunners have not recorded a losing season under Traylor's watch and have made a bowl game in all five years of his tenure. Additionally, the program went 23-5 from 2021-22 and owns a 31-8 record in conference play (Conference USA and American Conference) under Traylor. Also, as a native of Texas and with extensive coaching experience in the state, Traylor would have ties to a valuable recruiting area for Oklahoma State.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.